I Dare You
by 9BasketCase5
Summary: I vaguely remember him, strutting down the halls with his three friends, acting like they owned the place. Now it was hard to see him as an authoritative figure; he'd always been the troublemaker, the bad boy. And yet here I was, listening to his impressive lecture on advanced transfiguration. This year should be interesting, to say the least.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's a new Jily for you all. I've had a request for another one, and though my stories aren't too successful, they're too fun to write to say no. **

Prologue

Lily Evans grabbed a wad of muggle money and handed it to the taxi driver. He blinked in astonishment at the amount she'd given, but Lily didn't care. Hopefully that'd be the last time she'd ever need to use muggle money; she simply couldn't carry both her trunks and apparate herself to the train station.

That's right: Lily Evans was bringing _two_ trunks to school. All that was left of her family was Petunia, and she was hardly welcome at home. So, she'd packed up everything she could rightly call her own, used a Gemini charm on her trunk, and managed, with a few shrinking spells, to fit everything into her two trunks.

Two trunks because though she could have easily fit it all into one, she wanted to feel like she was worth more than one trunk. So she packed two.

Why the muggle taxi? Lily Evans was brilliant. She could have shrunk both her trunks to fit into her pocket and disappeared with a pop. But Lily decided to give one last farewell to the muggle world, waving goodbye to her childhood (and to use the last of her muggle money).

And now she lugged both her trunks to a cart and made her way to Platform 9 ¾. As soon as she crossed the barrier, she felt at home. She truly was a witch; this was her world. And Lily wouldn't ever look back.

"Lily! Oy, EVANS!"

Lily glanced over her shoulder to see her best mate, Alice Prewett, running towards her. "Al!" Lily exclaimed as she held out her arms. Alice was a very, well, _physical_ person. She always gave Lily the biggest hugs, and Lily let her. Alice was the only person she'd ever gotten close to, save for Severus, but nobody ever talked about him anymore. Not after fifth year.

"I've missed you so much," Alice said as she embraced her best friend.

"I missed you too. You took your sweet time writing me back," Lily said with a pretend scowl as they separated and started walking towards the Hogwarts Express.

"I'm sorry, it's not my fault your whole life revolves around me writing you back."

"For the first month, I was trapped in a house with just Tuney, wallowing in self pity," Lily said as Alice shot her a sympathetic glance. "Then I was so graciously offered the spare bed over the Cat's Eye in Diagon Alley. And, in case I forgot to tell you, Evan and his partner Jacob are definitely _not_ quiet lovers."

"You did say something about that," Alice said with a smile.

"And meanwhile, you were off in bloody Greece, having the time of your life and shagging Frank on the beach."

"It wasn't all that great." Lily gave her a skeptical look. "I kept getting sunburn, and I also got sand in places that were difficult and awkward to scourgify."

Lily burst out laughing. "Whatever. At least I now have a drinking tolerance that will rival anyone's. I can't wait for the first time we win a quidditch match."

Alice and Lily settled in a compartment containing Mary Macdonald and Hestia Jones. "I've got to be off, to show those damn Prefects their schedules and such," Lily said with a grumble as the train slowly took off.

"Good luck with that," Alice said.

Eventually they reached Hogwarts, and Lily and her three roommates made it into one of the fist carriages, and got seats near the entrance of the hall so they'd be the first ones to leave. After six years of doing this, their seventh school year, they'd decided, would be effortless.

"Who's that? Anyone else recognize him?" Hestia asked as the hat began sorting first years. "I just can't find the name."

"No way," Mary said with a giggle. "That's James Potter." All our heads turned to the staff table where sure enough, they recognized the famous Marauder.

"But he's so young to be a professor," Alice said. "The Marauders were in their seventh year when we were fourth, right? So he's only three, four years older than us?"

"Perhaps they couldn't find anyone else," Lily said loudly over the cheering; someone had just gotten sorted into Gryffindor.

"Or maybe he's just that good. What's his post?" Hestia asked.

"Defense," Mary and Alice said together.

"So that's seven teachers in seven years? The pay can't be that crappy," Lily said with a smile.

"Maybe us students are just little monsters and we can't be tamed," Hestia said with a wink.

"They say it's been that way for over twenty years," Alice said darkly. "Ever since some guy…Riddle? Anyway, he was so upset he didn't get the job so he cursed the position."

"Shh, Dumbledore's talking," Mary hissed.

Sure enough, "-to another year at Hogwarts. Firstly, I would like to point out a staffing change. Professor Greene," Greene stood up and gave a wave, "will be taking up our post as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," he paused for polite clapping, "And Professor Potter," Potter stood up for a quick second, "will be our new Transfiguration teacher."

"That's a tricky subject," Mary said, as it was her worst one. "I hope he's good; they say it takes a lifetime to truly master transfiguration."

"I'm sure he's fine, otherwise Dumbledore wouldn't hire him, would he?" Hestia pointed out. "Plus, he's sure to be something nice to look at during class."

"Keep it in your pants for once, would you, 'Tia?" Lily said with an eye roll.

The students of Hogwarts stuffed themselves until they could hold no more. As soon as the headmaster dismissed them, the four Gryffindors fled to avoid the crowd. "I'll see you guys later, okay? I've got to go to my new room." Lily said.

"See you tomorrow at breakfast," Alice said, who was being tugged along by Mary.

"See you." Lily Evans, alone once again, headed off to her new abode.

**A/N: More to come soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here's where the story starts. Have a good laugh, if nothing else. **

I woke up, and the silence was…loud. Where were the jokes, the laughter, though we were all half asleep? Then I remembered where I was. The head's dorm…right. I was alone.

I slowly rose and got dressed, did my hair and makeup, and left. I didn't even bother packing my bag, not knowing what classes I'd have today.

I felt extremely left out as I saw Alice laughing along with Mary and Hestia, already eating. I swung myself into the seat next to Alice, who elbowed me in greeting. "Morning," I said brightly. "What are we talking about?"

"The fact that Hestia is a sex crazed animal and won't admit she has a problem," Alice said with a laugh.

"Lily, back me up," Hestia said with a groan. "They think, just because I've learned to enjoy the finer things life has to offer, that I can't possibly think about anything else."

"What brought this on?" I asked, amused. Hestia did, indeed, have quite the track record for men; she went through them very quickly.

"She was making some joke about Potter as the new professor," Mary gestured at Alice, "And then Hestia decided to give her thoughts on exactly what he could use his very large teacher's desk for. In some gross detail."

I _knew_ moving into my own dorm would suck. One day, and I'm already behind on all their jokes. That's simply wonderful. "Let's just get her a boyfriend, who has quite the tolerance for sleep-deprivation, and have him deal with it."

"Scottie Brooks is looking quite fine this year," Alice said with a wink. "I could ask Frank-"

"Ask me what?" Frank said as he swung into the spot on Alice's other side.

"Is Brooks single?" She asked.

"At the moment, yes."

"Perfect. Tell him to ask Hestia out," Alice said loudly over Hestia's protesting remarks. "She needs someone to keep her…satisfied." We all laughed loudly at Frank's questioning look.

"So, just asking," Frank said as he started piling his plate with sausage, "Which of you showed up half naked to breakfast?"

"What do you mean?" Alice said, looking at him like he lost it.

"Well, something obviously happened, because when I walked in, Professors Potter and Greene were looking over here like you were here solely for their personal amusement."

I glanced up at the staffing table. Sure enough, Potter was looking this way as Greene talked to him. "Think he heard about your little fantasy, Hestia?"

"There's no way." As a group, we all turned to look, quite obviously, at Professor Potter. He noticed, of course; the hall wasn't very full yet, holding not even an eighth of it's student body. So he gave a little wave, and we burst out laughing.

Soon Professor Greene, who was possibly in his mid thirties, was handing out schedules. "Brilliant, I've got Potions, Defense, then…double Transfiguration?"

"That's mine, as well," Alice said with a laugh. "I wonder how good Greene is at Defense."

"I've got History of Magic first, then I'll see you guys for our last two," Mary said.

"That's what I've got as well."

Potions went flawlessly. As was custom, I sat next to Alice. Slughorn proclaimed me a natural potion maker, and said I could have a long career ahead of me in the brewing industry.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was a theory lesson, and during the lesson, Mary and Hestia tried to choke out an explanation as to why they were nearly crying with laughter. Eventually they calmed down enough to whisper their story: Binns had 'fallen asleep' and was 'sorry he was late for class'…only to have a slightly alarmed Dumbledore walk in on the class and find ghost-Binns teaching. He hadn't even realized he was dead.

We had a lively lunch, including an under-the-table duel of hair dying. I was still laughing at Frank's long, luscious pink locks of hair as he struggled to remove them; Hestia had placed an anti-countercurse charm, so he couldn't remove it without at least two correct incantations. But only after he'd suggested to Brooks to ask her out.

I went to the large desk in my common room and switched books, only grabbing one, and met my classmates outside the door to Professor Potter's classroom.

I sat next to Alice in the back. "Do you think he remembers any of us?" I asked.

"Why?"

"Well…I might've told on him and his mates a few times."

"What did they do?"

"Oh, he'd hexed one of Severus' friends, and…that time when they went streaking through Hogsmeade…"

"Why'd you have to be a rat?" Alice complained.

I frowned. "Slughorn told me I'd get detention if I didn't say what I knew."

"You mean Slughorn didn't give you your way?!" Alice mocked. "What was he thinking?"

"Oh, shut up," I grumbled.

Professor Potter stood in front of the class and began his lesson. To be honest, I only vaguely remember him, strutting down the halls with his three friends, acting like they owned the place. Now it was hard to see him as an authoritative figure; he'd always been the troublemaker, the bad boy. And yet here I was, listening to his impressive lecture on advanced transfiguration. This year should be interesting, to say the least.

Halfway through the class, it turned from theoretical to practical, and we were all anxious to start our human transfigurations. I had always been good at Charms, and Transfiguration wasn't that far from it. I'd learned over the years that all it took was a good imagination, picturing exactly what you wanted to ensure the correct result. It was much different than the mindless following of directions in Potions class. Here, I felt creative, like my magic was an art.

"Start smaller," Professor Potter said as the desks disappeared and the room was made ready. "Try anything in the book. If anything goes wrong, your partner is responsible for calling me over. Good luck."

With that, we all found a spot. "I'll start with inanimate objects. Think I can turn my body into a chair?" She succeeded making her legs into simple wooden chair legs, then immediately toppling over. I burst out laughing, and she undid her spell. "Hey, at least I got results. You try if you're so good."

I clearly pictured a Victorian styled armchair, letting the image take over my mind. I said the incantation, and the weirdest feeling came over me. And then I was the chair…it was incredibly freaky. I _felt_ my wand still in my hand, and I yelled the countercharm in my head. To my immense relief, I returned to my natural state.

"Okay, that was pretty good," Alice admitted. "Care to help me out?"

After a while, Alice got the hang of it; we started on more elaborate things. We gave ourselves goat legs, like the mythical Satyrs; then we transformed ourselves into Centaurs. That got us quite a few impressed looks, and ten points to Gryffindor from Professor Potter.

As the class was winding down, I turned the page of my book to the last of my section; it was human to amphibian transformations. I pictured a mermaid in my mind, cast the spell…I couldn't breathe. I dropped to the floor, my legs no longer there, as my lungs screamed at me. I vaguely heard Alice's voice shouting something as I tried to focus on the spell to reverse it. I was panicking too much, I couldn't do it…

I got a breath of air. "Class dismissed. Remember your essays for Wednesday, please," Professor Potter said.

Opening my eyes, I watched the classroom empty, except my friends. I tried to talk, but my throat was raspy, and felt like I'd inhaled smoke.

"Don't try to talk, you'll just make it worse," Potter said gently. Turning to the girls, he said, "Go on ahead to dinner. I'll just take Evans to the hospital wing to get her lungs checked out. I'm sure she'll be back before dinner comes to an end."

I nodded when they looked back to me, and then reluctantly left. "Let's get you up." He held out a hand, which I took; my legs felt like jelly. I couldn't stand on my own, and I felt my face flush as I practically fell face first into him. "It's alright, I've got you. Can you walk?" I took an experimental step, and had to be caught again. "It's fine," he said as I shook my head, looking down. To my surprise, he swooped me into his arms as easily as if I'd weighed not more than thirty kilos. I quickly clamped my hands around his neck to ensure I would be safe. The door jumped open and he started walking to the hospital wing. "That was very advanced magic. If I thought any of you would actually try turning into a water creature, I would've warned you against it. I suppose I should have more confidence in you, though. I myself had gotten quite good at magic by seventh year."

I tried to ignore the fact that my face was so near his, or that his hand was so high on my leg. Of any word you could use to describe Professor Potter, one word nobody would try to debate was that he was damn fit. Trying to relax, I rested my face against his shoulder. "Still with me, Lily?"

Not Miss Evans, but Lily. I nodded against his shoulder.

"Right. Just checking."

We arrived in the hospital wing, to see that Madam Pomfrey was busy with another patient. Potter brought me over to a bed and set me down, drawing the curtains. "I know that if I were in your position, I'd want a bit of privacy," he said. I nodded gratefully.

"What have you done now, Potter?" Pomfrey asked as she entered the curtained area.

"Poppy, I'm no longer a student running amuck," he said with a grin. "Miss Evans here was displaying her wonderful magic, and it went a bit wrong. I just wanted to make sure her body is set properly and that her lungs and throat are well."

Madam Pomfrey set about her wandwork, muttering things about Potter's past which he could only smirk about. She fixed my raw throat, and murmured spells at my chest. "It's a good thing you brought her here," Pomfrey said reluctantly to Potter. "She did need a few minor adjustments." Turning to me, she smiled. "You're free to go to dinner now, Miss Evans."

I sat up, still slightly wobbly. "Thank you, Madam," I said with a thankful smile. I followed Professor Potter out the door. "Sorry, I should have read more before attempting to change," I said.

"Don't ever be sorry for your brilliance. That's the only word for it, you see. None of your classmates could have come close to that, save perhaps Alice, though I think that's because you were coaching her." I shrugged. "Just let me know before you do anything else as brilliant as that, so I can be there quicker if you need help."

We neared the doors to the great hall, and I nodded in agreement. That wasn't a bad idea. "Thank you for your help, Professor," I said with a smile. And for the first time up close, I looked into his face. His mischievous eyes were a beautiful hazel, protected by rectangular glasses with a thin frame. His hair was black and messy, his skin tanned a bit, and his smile got my heart beating quicker, his perfect teeth a pearly white.

"My pleasure, Lily." His voice was deep and extremely masculine. We walked through the doors and parted ways.

"Are you alright?" Alice asked as I put a few things on my plate.

I looked up at Potter, who was sitting at the staff table, and we made eye contact. He smiled again, making me blush…damn it!…and replied, "I'm fine. A few quick spells and I was alright."

Hestia leaned in from across the table. "Was that embarrassing? Your nakedness in front of the whole class?"

I dropped my fork. "What?"

Alice looked at me. "You didn't know?"

"Why would I possibly _want_ to be naked in front of everyone!" I exploded.

"You weren't completely naked," Alice said. "Just your top…you know, like mermaids are."

I shoved my plate aside and banged my head on the table. "Just kill me now," I muttered. "Did everyone see me?"

"I don't think so, actually. The Professor kind of kneeled in front of you, and he got there before too many saw…I'd say just us, the twins from Hufflepuff, and Professor Potter."

"I don't care about you, guys, you've seen them before," I said, perking up a bit. "And Shaunee and Shannon aren't really going to care, right? It's just…I glanced up at the staff table. "Can he hear everything we say?" I said, glaring at the damn professor, who was smirking and trying not to laugh at apparently nothing, as the other teachers were shooting him odd looks.

"I wouldn't doubt it, after this morning," Hestia muttered. "I swear, when I walked up to his desk to ask about the assignment, he actually shrunk his desk."

"He didn't let it phase him," Alice said with a smile. "And it's not like he's going to go around and tell the students he saw Lily Evan's boobs, is he? He's a professor, not a stupid git like the ones we go to class with."

"I guess." I looked up, and made eye contact with Potter again. "I just wish he hadn't seen my boobs. We didn't even get a good snog in first." He choked a bit on his drink. "Yep, that's it. See that?" Alice nodded. "He can fricking hear us. Every word."

"Let's just get out of here," Mary said with a shrug. "He can't hear us from-"

I cut her off. "Let's go to my dorm; we can all do homework without the loudness of the common room but more comfy than the library."

"I knew having you as Head Girl would come with some perks," Alice said with a grin.

That night I convinced Alice to spend the night with me so I wasn't so lonely. To my dismay, they'd taken my bed out of my dorm in Gryffindor tower, so I couldn't go back with them. She'd agreed, given that my bed was the biggest either of us had ever seen and I said she could use my bathroom, which seemed to be designed solely for pampering, in the morning.

As we lay in the dark, facing each other, I whispered about how Potter had carried me to the hospital wing, how he called me Lily, and how I thought he was extremely fit. We both agreed that it was odd he could hear us from across the great hall; "What if he likes you?" Alice asked with a laugh. "I mean, come on, you're a fiery redhead and I wouldn't be surprised if PlayWizard tries to recruit you. _And_ he saw your boobs. Let's be honest; he's using you as wanking material as we speak."

"Alice!" I shrieked, turning red. "You're impossible!"

"Just speaking the truth, dear."

**A/N: Let me know if the story line is one you'd keep reading, or if it's complete garbage and should be tossed. If you like it, I'll keep going, simple as that. **

**Kindness is always appreciated in the course of reviewing :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's another one, dedicated to my first two reviewers, moosemika and Enya Sparrow. Thanks for the support, guys!**

3

I woke up to a bird singing right outside my window. It was now around a month into our seventh year, and the first Hogsmeade trip. I quickly got dressed into some comfy casual wizard's wear and made my way down to breakfast. To my dismay, the hall was nearly empty, which meant my friends weren't there yet. I reluctantly sat down by myself and grabbed a bit of toast. "You're up quite early this morning, Lily," a voice said from behind me.

I jumped slightly with surprise and turned, only to see Professor Potter standing there. "What time is it?" I asked.

"Half past six."

"You're right," I said with a shrug. "I didn't bother to look at the clock before I came down. I guess I just had a one track mind: breakfast."

He laughed, and I noticed he hadn't bothered to shave this morning. His face was a bit stubbly, and I had to push aside the thought of running my hand across his jaw. "You're going to Hogsmeade today?"

I nodded. "Yes, I was hoping to get so drunk that I couldn't remember my name," I said.

He grinned. "Any reason why you're trying to drink away your sorrows?"

I blinked; I hadn't said anything about being sad. How could he possibly know? "Well, er," I stalled. I didn't know quite what to say. Tell him the truth or not?

"Yes?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I guess things have been different this year," I confessed, nearly slapping myself in the forehead. Why would he care?

To my surprise, Professor Potter swung himself into the seat next to me. "Go on," he said with a smile at my slightly astonished glance. He helped himself to a bit of bacon as a plate appeared in front of him.

"I just mean…it's different now that I've been sleeping in the Head Girl's dorm. I'm used to living with the girls, and at night's when all the interesting things happen." He smirked widely. "Not like that," I hastily added. "It just seems like I'm missing out on a lot. And here I am, talking to a professor who probably doesn't care less, because I'm no longer living with my friends so I got down here at a different time," I said with a frown.

"I do care, Lily, or I wouldn't have asked," he said with a smile at me. "And believe me, I know how you feel. It's hard living here; I used to share my house with two of my best friends."

"Then why did you come here? Did you just need the job?"

He shrugged. "That, and I've been working with Dumbledore on some things."

"Like what?"

"Maybe I'll tell you some day. For now, let's just say I know how you feel." He winked at me. "But that Head Girl room has to be great. I've never been in the Gryffindor Head room, but I'd assume it's the same as the others."

"You've been in the other head's rooms?"

"Yeah, back in the day. But I never made it into the Gryffindor one; for my last three school years, the Head Boy has been in Gryffindor."

I grinned. "Meaning you had…let's see, two Ravenclaws, and one Hufflepuff invite you into their very private chambers?"

"I'd say only two were invitations…I begged a girl during my fifth year to let me in so I could avoid Filch."

"Ah. Always getting out of trouble, I see."

"Precisely. That's a key to life, you know." He reloaded his plate, this time with some eggs and sausage.

"I'll remember those wise words," I said with a laugh. Potter really was something, wasn't he?

"Good." He finished off his plate with gusto, much quicker than I ever could have eaten. He glanced around, noticing that the hall was filling up with people, a steady trickle of students coming through the doors. "I've got to go now, Lily but if you're ever feeling lonely, feel free to come give me a visit." He winked and my mouth fell open slightly in astonishment.

Recovering quickly, I said, "Thanks, Professor. I might just do that."

"Do what?" Alice asked from across the table. I jumped, looking at her. I hadn't seen her coming.

"Er-" I glanced back to see Professor Potter had left. "Just talking about the Transfiguration essay. He was telling me not to attempt the spell until he could have a chance to help me…afraid of another fiasco, I suppose."

"You were going to try to become an animagus?" Hesita asked through a full mouth.

"No, I wasn't. That's the point, he was warning me against it," I grumbled, suddenly in a bad mood. "I'm going to Hogsmeade. I'll be in the book store."

I took the long walk in the crisp autumn air, not minding one bit the earliness. People always asked what my favourite season was. I honestly couldn't pick one. I loved outside. If I closed my eyes, I could see shadows of Tuney and I playing outside in falling leaves, building a snowman, helping plant flowers…

"Lily! Lils, wait up!" I smiled, regretting I had ever doubted Alice. I stopped walking and waited for her to catch up. She was holding a stack of toast, each smeared with jam. "You know I want to go book ogling with you. I always do. What's up?"

I glanced around to make sure we were alone. "I lied about what Professor Potter was talking about."

"Oh? Was he offering to snog you senseless?" Alice asked with a giggle.

"No, but…he said if I was ever lonely, to come visit him. And he calls me 'Lily'. I'm starting to get a psycho teacher crush," I admitted. "He's just…so fit! Do you think I'm gross?"

Alice shook her head as she silently laughed. "Lily, if I thought it was gross, I would have told you last month. Besides, he's only three years older. Now, if you were to go for, say, Dumbledore-"

"Don't even say it, Alice," I giggled. "So you don't think I'm a creeper?"

"Lils, I think you're being perfectly reasonable. Just be careful, okay? You remember the reputations of him and that Sirius Black."

"Yeah…notorious womanizers. I know." I dropped my voice to a whisper. "I just can't help imagining what it'd feel like to kiss him."  
"You've got it bad," Alice decided. "Well, if you need any help with…anything, let me know. I've discovered this brilliant contraceptive potion that lasts a month, so you don't have to cast a charm each time you go at it."

I rolled my eyes at her. "If that becomes a problem with our dear Professor, I'll let you know. Besides, I doubt he even sees me like that. I'm probably just another one of his students, not special at all. I'm just the one stupid enough to think I've got a shot with him."

"You do, though," Alice said. "Was he being sincere when he said to come visit him?"

"I believe so," I replied.

"Then let's plan a visit. What else did you talk about?" I mentioned the part where I'd said I was going to get piss drunk, and she snorted. "Classy, Evans. What did he say?"

"He just asked me what was wrong," I said.

"Maybe you should pick up a bottle of firewhisky and go visit him tonight," Alice suggested.

"That's actually not too bad of an idea. I'd just seem pretty pathetic to him, wouldn't I? How about just me and you?"

"Erm…I actually have a date with Frank. Dinner, than that empty classroom by the portrait of Ambrose…"

"Oh. Maybe I will, then," I said, wagging my eyebrows. "Let's get some firewhisky at the Three Broomsticks. Maybe have lunch there?" I suggested.

"Sounds good. Now let's get some good booksniffing done."

We made our rounds in Hogsmeade, meeting up with Mary and Hestia for lunch. When afternoon threatened to turn into evening, Frank found Alice and I was left with Mary and Hestia to walk slowly back to Hogwarts. Hestia was ecstatic; Scottie Brooks had asked her out, and they had a study date tomorrow. She rambled about what topics to bring up when they ran out of things to say, or if she should expect a kiss.

When we parted ways at the castle, I mustered all my Gryffindor courage and made my way to the Transfiguration classroom. It was empty, as I predicted, so I knocked on the door to his office. After a few moments, I reached out and knocked again, a bit louder. The door swung open, and there he was…dripping wet, wearing only a towel around his waist. "I…uh…sorry," I mumbled. Damn, he was sexy! His hair was shagging in his eyes, sticking to his face with its wetness. By the looks of his chest, he'd never missed a workout in his life. I had to pry my eyes away from the V shape and that thin line of hair leading down from his belly button. "I guess I caught you at a bad time. I'll just go then."

"Wait, Lily," He said, his deep voice sending shivers through my body. Agh. I turned around to face his royal hotness again. "I'll just get changed, then we can talk. Sit down," He invited as he backed into his office. I chose the armchair behind his desk; this one was much bigger than the one in the classroom. Hestia would simply die if she saw it.

Professor Potter came back and was sadly fully dressed. "What's up?" he asked with a kind smile.

Suddenly regretting coming here and feeling silly, I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to talk to someone." That was more truth than not.

"You came to the right place," Potter told me. "Do you mind if we go in here? I hate those chairs," he gestured to the ones opposite of his desk, "They're torture to sit in for more than five minutes."

Trying to act casual, I followed Potter back into his living quarters. I was screaming on the inside, though. Let's be honest. There's no way this would be happening in real life…right? "Nice place you've got here," I said, simply to end the silence.

"Thanks. It's of no credit to me, though. Most the furniture stays with the room."

We were in a comfy looking sitting room. A large fireplace was present, along with a couch and three armchairs, all matching. A coffee table and two side tables rounded off the furniture, not counting the "Books," I said aloud. The whole room was lined with them. There was a ladder on wheels that took you up to the ones near the ceiling.

"I suppose you like to read," Potter said with an approving nod. "I never really advertised it, but I too love to read. You find so many useful spells you wouldn't otherwise, don't you agree?"

I nodded as I walked over and started looking through titles. "Are these all yours?" I asked.

"Not all, maybe about half?" he guessed. "Those two walls are mine. The rest were here, lots from the library that has newer or updated copies, some here just because they've got nowhere else to go."

"I'm envious," I confessed. "If I had the time, I'd just sit here all day and read."

"Feel free, Lily. Anytime you want a new book, feel free to check here. Some in my personal collection, you can't find in the library."

I went over to the couch and plopped down on it. "For all it's good looks, this couch is quiet lumpy," I complained.

"It's the armchairs you want. They're heavenly." I agreed that they were, in fact. "So I've noticed you're not drunk," Potter observed.

"Not yet," I said with a laugh. "I actually picked up a bottle in the Three Broomsticks," I said, waving my wand to make the large bottle of firewhisky appear.

"Were you planning on drinking all that yourself?" he asked with a smirk.

"Unless you'd care to join me," I said, my stomach fluttering. Was I being too forward?

"What kind of a gentlemen lets a lady drink alone?" he countered. He waved his wand and two shot glasses appeared; the bottle then filled them, and he handed one to me. "Cheers."

I clamped my throat muscles tight as I tipped the glass back. The whiskey seared my throat as it went down. I could feel it warm my belly. I relaxed; this was just drinking with a friend. Or at least that's what I told myself.

Soon half the bottle of firewhisky was gone. "We're missing dinner," Potter told me. His cheeks were slightly red.

"I don't mind."

"Maybe we should eat, though, so we don't get too drunk."

"If you think I'm walking into the great hall trashed, well…think again."

"How about we ask an elf?" he said with a careless smile. Within ten minutes we had a thick stew and some bread, some of what was being served for dinner downstairs.

"So how's Sirius?" I asked him.

"He's fine. Been keeping busy, I expect. He's got a job at the ministry that he hates. I think he's just biding his time until something better comes along."

"Have you always wanted to be a teacher?" I asked.

"I never thought I'd be a teacher, ever. I'm not too thrilled about it, to be honest," he said, taking another shot of firewhisky.

"Why not? You get to see charming people like me every day," I said boldly. Damn, maybe I should hold back on the firewhisky…but he handed me another, which I drank.

"Yes, but I have a weakness for charming people like you," he said with a shrug. "And it will be the reason for premature gray hairs." I laughed, giddy, and leaned a bit closer….and then I started blacking out.

**Let me know what you think. As always, if you'd like me to continue, let me know.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you to my lovely reviewers. It's you guys who encourage me to post the next chapter. I'd had this done yesterday, but gotten a less than satisfactory review on another one of my stories, therefore putting me in a bad mood and making me second guess this chapter. But I've decided I don't care if you like it, here it is. **

4

I woke up to something warm landing over my side. I felt sick, and my mouth was extremely dry. My head was pounding, and I could hardly open my eyes. I reached for the warm object on my side, and was shocked to find it was an arm. I shoved it off in surprise and pushed the body next to me, which groaned.

"Accio hangover potion." I opened my eyes, and saw Professor Potter handing me a vial, which I happily drank. The relief was immediate, and I panicked slightly. I looked at him, without a shirt…looking under the blankets, I was relieved to see I was completely clothed. Thank Merlin. "Morning," Potter said.

I sat up, running a hand through my hair to try and tame it a bit. With a glance at Potter, I noticed he was doing the same thing. I laughed, and he did as well, and just like that it wasn't awkward anymore.

"It's almost lunch," I said. "I'd better get going. I miss breakfast plenty of times, but I think Alice would be a bit paranoid if I missed lunch as well." He cheerfully waved goodbye and gave me a wink before walking into his bathroom and starting the shower.

Shaking my head to clear it of its fantasies, I walked back to my rooms and jumped into the shower myself.

What had happened last night? I remember arriving and seeing his glorious, wet body. Then we started drinking…we got dinner, too. But I couldn't remember much after that. How the hell had I ended up in bed next to him?

He didn't seem mad about it. Hell, maybe he remembered how I'd gotten there. Maybe I

was just too drunk to walk. And of course I wouldn't sleep on that couch; that thing felt like it was stuffed with bowling balls. I wondered if he'd invited me? Maybe I had just claimed his bed, then he decided to sleep there anyway? Or perhaps I'd passed out and he'd carried me to his bed? The possibilities were endless.

And then I'd woken up, feeling his arm around me; thinking back, I realized he was spooning me. Why had I stopped such a glorious thing?

I got out of the shower and slowly got ready for what was sure to be a day filled with essays and studying. I walked the lonely path to the great hall and sat next to Frank. "How'd your date with Alice go? You remembered to use the charm, right?"

He looked at me, panic suddenly in his eyes. "You mean she isn't-"

"Just kidding, Longbottom. She's on the potion, don't worry. You've got no chance of getting her pregnant in school."

"Why is it," Alice asked, sitting across from Frank and I, "That we must constantly talk about getting me pregnant?"

"Maybe because you two shag like bunnies at every chance you get?" I innocently replied.

"Speaking of shagging, I stopped by your rooms this morning to see if you wanted to walk to breakfast together, when a kind portrait told me you never returned to your room," Alice said with a raised eyebrow. "Anything you want to tell me about?"

"Actually, we should talk. There have been some interesting developments." Her eyes widened, and she started scarfing down her food.

When we were done, she dragged me all the way to my room and plopped me down on my couch. "What are you waiting for? Spill!" Alice exclaimed.

"Well…we got drunk. Positively smashed, I might add. And I woke up in his bed…he was spooning me."

"Were you naked?" she asked with a grin.

"No, but you should see him without a shirt on. Damn, he's so fit!" I exclaimed.

"Did you at least snog a bit?" I shook my head.

"Right, well, we need a new plan. Did he happen to invite you there for anything? I mean, you just used the excuse of being lonely."

I immediately remembered all his books, but shook my head. Then she'd want to go, too. "Let's just start on our homework, okay? After we're done, we can plot ways for me to engage in an inappropriate relationship with my professor."

We'd finished everything but Transfiguration, which was particularly difficult. We ended up in the library, trying to research our topics. Alice's topic was to cross reference spells and potions that do the same type of human transfigurations. We found two books that would help her. However, my topic was a bit stranger. I had to look for recently invented spells on human transfiguration and how they were similar with the magic of a metamorphagi.

"This library doesn't have anything recent in it, that's why you've not found anything good. They only started studying the metamorphmaguses' magic two years ago," Alice said.

And then it clicked. Of course Potter would have a book on it. Why wouldn't he? _"Some in my personal collection, you can't find in the library." _ "I think I know where I can find a book to help me. I'll see you at dinner." I left the library without another word, leaving her with the question of where exactly I was going.

I knocked loudly on Potter's door. He opened a moment later. "Lily." He didn't seem at all surprised I was here. "Come on in."

I didn't even pause in his office but went straight back into his sitting room. "My my, she seems quite at home." I looked, startled, to the voice.

I recognized him, of course. "Sirius Black," I said in greeting as I continued my way to the bookshelf I intended to search.

"Lily Evans," he countered. "What brings you to Prong's place?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I said, my eyes never leaving the bookshelf. Ah, there was his shelf filled with the books I needed. I climbed up the ladder and started pulling out books to see which I needed.

"Evans, would you mind arching your back just a tad more? I can't quite see your knickers."

"That's because I'm not wearing any," I countered. I knew exactly how to deal with his type. Keep witty and don't get wound up.

"Well, James, I must say I approve. She's got quite the personality."

I chose four books and levitated them as I climbed down the ladder. "You've got to get Pince to update the library," I told Potter. "I've been looking for ages and didn't find anything like this." I boldly strode across the room to the coffee table, where I pulled out my roll of parchment, quill, and ink pot and opened the first book as I made myself comfortable on the floor.

"You're really going to do homework, Evans? When you're in the presence of two godlike wizards?" I felt him sit next to me on the couch, so his leg was touching my left arm.

"You can blame Potter for that one," I informed him without so much as looking up.

"We hated homework, Prongs, and now you're giving so much that an attractive young lady such as Lily has to spend her weekend in doing it? For shame." Sirius reached out and brushed a bit of my hair back from my face.

"Keep it in your pants, Padfoot," the professor practically growled.

"Forgive Mr. Potter, Miss Evans; he grew up an only child, you see, and never learned to share."

I laughed. "For shame, Professor; you must learn to share with your best friend," I said as I tried (not hard enough) to not look smug.

"If you try something on one of my students-" Potter started waning Black.

Sirius cut him off. "Relax, I won't do anything they don't want. Right, sweetheart?" he asked, brushing a finger down my cheek.

"Sorry, what did you say?" I asked, innocently blinking up at him as I tore my gaze away from my half-finished essay. I rested my chin on his knee, and he gave me a wink. Combined with that knowing look, I knew Sirius was on the same page as me; we were going to make Potter jealous. He reached out and grabbed a bit of my hair to play with in his hand.

"So what do you like to do in your spare time, Lily?" he asked me.

"Nothing out of the usual. Read books, watch quidditch…give head," I said as casually as I could.

Sirius roared with laughter. I glanced to see Potter's jaw drop, his face then transforming from disbelief to humor as he realized I was joking. "I like you, Evans. James and I are going for drinks tonight. Would you care to join us?" Sirius asked.

"If I ever get this damn essay done, I'd love to," I said with a grin.

"Then get to work, miss schoolgirl. You and I simply must battle wits while we are drunk."

"Aye aye, captain," I said as I returned to my essay.

An hour later, I had triple checked the paper and rearranged it magically, and I was done. I tucked it safely in my bag and returned Potter's books to his shelf. "I've got to go get changed. I can't go to a pub looking like a schoolgirl, can I?"

"If you must. It pains me to see you leave," Sirius dramatically proclaimed.

I paused at the door. "Ever seen the Head Girl's dorm, Black?" I asked with a wink.

"Never the Gryffindor one," Sirius told me.

"Then come along," I said, laughing.

We were soon well on our way. "Well done, kitten, I thought he was going to curse me a time or two."

"So you know."

"Of course. And you know what? Before you showed up, you were what we were discussing."

"And what did Professor Potter have to say about me?" I asked as casually as I could.

"I'm not sure how much he'd appreciate me disclosing to you," Black said as he flung an arm over my shoulders. "But he might've mentioned how he wished you weren't his student, or he weren't your teacher."

"Did he really say that?" I asked, suddenly hopeful. Maybe it wasn't such a lost case, after all.

"Let me just say, don't give up," Sirius said as we neared my door. "And I'm on your side."

I gave him a huge smile and let us in. "Where are we going? Do I need to look classy or slutty?" I asked as I led us straight into my bedroom.

"How about a bit of both? Like a classy hooker, maybe," Sirius suggested. He finally took off his outer cloak, to show me what he was wearing. "I've gone for classy but sexy, as well." He settled on my bed, waiting for me to get ready.

I dug through my wardrobe, finally coming across the perfect dress. It was black and clung to my curves perfectly. It had a more modest front, only showing a bit of cleavage; yet when I bent over it gave you a perfect view of what my robes hid. I hit Sirius with a blindfolding jinx and changed, slipping on a thong and a strapless bra. After I shimmied my dress on, I started fixing my hair so it hung in long waves. I applied makeup how Alice preferred I wear it, saying it made me look mysterious and sexy. As I slipped on my four inch heels, I removed the blindfold.

"Damn, Evans. You're a knockout," Sirius said with a low whistle.

"Do you think Potter will like it?" I asked nervously.

He outright laughed. "He'll have trouble keeping his hands off you. Is that dress silk?"

"Mostly," I replied as I gave myself a final lookover. I fastened my traveling cloak over my outfit. "Let's go."

Once we got to Potter's room, he gave us each a pinch of Floo powder, some for now and some for later. I drew my hood over my hair and arranged it so it hung low over my eyes; I didn't want any ash to get onto my perfected appearance.

"Cauldron Stir," Potter said clearly as he dropped some Floo powder into the fire.

I followed suit, only to step out into pitch darkness. "Lily, stay quiet," Potter hissed. Sirius arrived, and Potter gave him the same instruction.

Sirius clamped a hand on my upper arm. "Shall I take Lily back?"

I was so confused. What was going on? As my eyes adjusted, I saw wreckage. A place that had obviously once been higher end, not in ruins. Glass smashed everywhere, bar tables and chairs broken… "What's that green thing outside?"

Sirius's eyes widened as he took it in. He turned and lit a fire in the fireplace, presumably to go back…

Suddenly spells were flying everywhere. I scrambled in my cloak for my wand. Soon more people were falling out of the fireplace behind me. I recognized that silvery beard…

I saw clearly the two sides. One filled with familiar faces, the others without any faces, masked and cloaked in black. I saw James, then I saw the second masked figure come from behind. "Stupify," I hissed, and the second person collapsed just as the first did.

It took nearly ten minutes, but we got them all.

Potter and Sirius talked to Dumbledore, who then addressed everyone. I didn't hear a word. I walked over to the victim I'd frozen and unmasked him. His cold eyes followed my movements, then flicked to something over my shoulder. I jumped as Potter's hand touched my shoulder. "Thanks for that, by the way," he said, nodding at the person on the ground. "Let's go back, we've got a lot to talk about."

I shakily slipped my hand into his and followed him into the fireplace. Stepping out, I recognized my sitting room. I practically collapsed onto my couch, and Potter followed, sitting next to me, seeing as I still held his hand. "I'm so sorry you had to see that," Potter said gently.

Then he reached out and wrapped his arms around me, engulfing me in a hug.

**A/N: Just kidding. I do care. I'm a very self-conscious person. Like always, good reviews get faster updates. I've got most of the next chapter done, so maybe tomorrow night? We'll see :)**


	5. Chapter 5

I froze momentarily, not believing that this was really happening. As I relaxed, I put my arms around him, returning the hug. I took a deep breath, smelling the scent of clean man. We stayed like that until I stopped shaking. Even then he kept one hand around my shoulder as I leaned my head against his. His hand rubbed my arm soothingly. "Who were those people?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"They call themselves Death Eaters. They're active believers in You-Know-Who."

"I'd heard about a few problems. I just never really thought they'd apply to me. I mean…I'm just a student."

"Lily, it's okay," he said as I started trembling slightly again.

"I'm just scared because I'm a muggleborn," I confessed. "I know they'll target me, no matter what. And I just saw what they could really do."

"No one will hurt you. Not while you're here. Hogwarts is the safest place in the world."

"And what happens when I graduate? I'll be in the same boat as the other muggleborns. Not knowing if I'll live through the day, simply because I wanted to go to the market or visit a friend."

"Don't worry about that now. For all we know, this You-Know-Who fellow could be stopped tomorrow."

The angle at which I was leaning started to become uncomfortable. Not caring what he thought, I scooted closer, to where my legs were over his. If he thought it was inappropriate, he didn't protest, simply shifted his arms along with my body.

"Wouldn't that be ideal," I mumbled. I took another deep breath of his scent. "So how did Dumbledore get there so fast?"

"I sent a patronus to everyone in the order right before we were attacked, and the available ones showed up for backup."

"The order?" I asked.

"You promise not to say anything to anyone about…what I'm about to tell you?"

"Sure," I agreed.

"Dumbledore formed a group called the Order of the Phoenix. We're a bunch of wizards and witches trying to counteract You-Know-Who's plans."

"So like a resistance group?"

He chuckled a bit. "I suppose you could call it that. But it's top secret, and nobody outside of it is supposed to know."

"I'll keep quiet," I promised. "So how do I get involved in this group?"

He shook his head. "You don't. You're still in school, Lily, and you're going to graduate. Then you can ask Dumbledore about it if you're still interested."

"Then I'll do that," I decided No way I wouldn't want to join, if it meant protecting muggleborns like myself all over the world.

"I suppose I should get going," Potter said. He made no move to get up, though.

I smirked. He clearly didn't want to go, and was waiting for me to ask him not to. "I'd rather you stay for a bit."

Apparently that was all he needed. Men. "It's a shame about that place, though. It was one of the top Wizarding hangouts."

"Why did they destroy it?" I asked.

He looked down at me with a small smile. "I believe it's because the pub owner was muggleborn."

And just like that, I was scared all over again. I tried not to let it show, though, and said the first thing that popped into my mind. "It's a shame you never saw my outfit. Sirius thought it was perfect."

"Let's see it then," Potter said expectantly. He reached a hand down and tugged at my cloak, sending butterflies through my stomach.

All he succeeded in doing was moving it off one of my legs, leaving it long and bare up to mid thigh, before I stopped him. "You'll have to see it some other time. It's strictly for outings, you see."

"Tomorrow night?" he asked with a smile that melted my insides.

"Tomorrow night," I thoughtlessly agreed. "As long as you don't give me yet another transfiguration assignment, that is."

"I think I can give you a day off."

"Brilliant," I said, giving Potter a wide smile in return.

"And you've got no doubts about sneaking off campus with me?"

"To do what? Sit around and watch the leaves fall? I'm perfectly fine with it."

"I wish the Head Girls in my day were as lenient as you are."

I shifted closer yet again, tucking a leg underneath me, leaving the one he'd pulled my cloak away from just how it was; bare, and across his own. "You keep saying 'in your day' or 'in your time' like it was fifty years ago. As far as I can tell, we're in the same decade, Potter."

"James."

"What?"

"Would it be okay…I mean, if you want to, that is…it's alright for you to call me James." I looked up and to my surprise, saw a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Alright, then, James. Back to the point, you're what, three, four years older than me, tops?"

He shrugged. "Hogwarts seems like a long time ago. A lot has happened."

Somewhere off in the distance, the clock tower chimed, signaling it was time for dinner. "Hungry?" I asked him.

"Would you think it odd if I suggested we stay here? I'm feeling rather unsociable at the moment."

"If you'd like to leave, go to your office-"

"That's not what I meant," he said quickly. "I just mean the hundreds of people down there." He called for a house elf again, who gave us some food. Tonight it was chicken with buttered vegetables.

I reluctantly let go of Potter and sat on the floor, scooting the coffee table closer to me and stretching my legs underneath it. The professor followed my example, and we ate until we could hold no more. After the elf came back to take away the dishes, we engaged in a game of exploding snap. He finally got tired of winning so many times, or felt bad for me, and started to let me win or try to help me with a few very obvious hints.

And when I started to get tired, I mustered all my courage into a single sentence. A sentence that could make or break this whole thing. "Will you stay with me?"

He paused, not answering right away, making my heart pound with nervousness at his answer. I refused to look at him. But… "If you want me to."

And just like that, I spent the second night in a row sleeping next to James Potter.

oO0Oo

I was almost late for my first class of the day, Charms. "Where were you? You just ran off, missed dinner, then breakfast this morning. You'd better have a good excuse for making me worried," Alice hissed at me.

I leaned in and whispered, "I was with Potter."

She looked at me. "Shag yet?"

"No. We haven't done anything. And, to be honest, I'm still not sure if he actually likes me." I frowned. What if Sirius had just been leading me on?

"You've spent two nights in a row in the same bed. Of course he likes you."

I glanced around to make sure we were the only ones hearing this conversation. "Brothers and sisters spend the night together."

"Yeah, when they're like, five!" she exclaimed. Lowering her voice she continued. "Just try to kiss him. See where that takes it."

"I can't just…I mean, James is my professor."

"_James_?"

"He said it was alright…"

"That's it. Seriously, I don't know how you can just be so casual about this whole thing. If Frank just slept next to me, I'd have trouble not touching him."

"I mean, we've touched, just not in that way. He likes to spoon me while we sleep," I confided.

"I can't even," Alice said with a sigh. "What's your plan then?"

"I haven't a clue. It's not exactly something I can go around asking people about. 'Excuse me, but what do you do when you've got a crush on your professor and all you want to do is snog him?'"

"How about you get him to make the first move?"

"And how would I do that?"

"I don't know, try to make him jealous somehow."  
And with that, a plan formed in my mind.

Later that day, I once again dressed for an outing. I went to Potter's room, and Sirius answered the door. "I couldn't possibly let him take you out alone. What happens when the bar breaks out in a fight over who gets to take you home?"

"Where's James?" I asked.

"He's grabbing some hangover potion from Pomfrey. Apparently, they're more popular with the teachers than you'd think. She keeps a stash handy at all times."

"So how do you feel about a plan worthy of a Slytherin?" I asked with a grin.

"As much as I hate the slimy gits, I must say I'm intrigued. Continue."

"I want to make Potter jealous," I said quietly. "Can you help me out with that?"

"You realize how risky that is for me? He might hex my balls off."

I gave him a pouty face. "It's just…I don't know what to do. I feel like the naughty schoolgirl pining over her professor. I guess I thought if I could get him to admit feelings for me as well…"

Sirius held up a hand. "Say no more. I'll help you out."

"You _were_ telling the truth about me having a shot here, right?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Lily, I'm shocked. You think I'd lie about something like that?" he asked, looking a bit hurt.

"I don't know, would you?"

"After tonight, you won't ever doubt me again."

James came back and set down a few vials on a little table. "We ready?"

I hoped to Merlin this time stepping out of the fireplace would be better. When we arrived, it was a place in full swing, people dancing to loud music, lights pulsing multiple colours, a bar with drunken people asking for more, and several tables. James led us to a coat rack that grew another hook for each of our cloaks. I undid mine and handed it to Potter just in time to see his reaction to my outfit. "You look lovely," he managed as he turned away to hang my cloak.

"Thank you," I said smiling.

Sirius grabbed my wrist and started dragging me off to where a group just left a table. We got there just before someone else. With an apologetic shrug Sirius sat down. A waitress appeared just as James sat down next to me. I ordered some firewhisky. "Sure you can handle that?" Sirius asked with a grin.

"She's got a better tolerance than I do," Potter admitted.

"I worked over a bar during summer holiday, and lived just above. I drank a lot."

"I swear, everything that comes out of your mouth just makes me like you better," Sirius said with a smirk.

I leaned in to his ear and whispered, "Ready to get this show on the road?"

As I sat back, Sirius roared with laughter. "You're perfect, Lily."

I leaned back into my chair, and to my pleasure, James' arm went around the backrest. I kept my back in contact with his arm. I swear, I could feel the heat from his body. I crossed my legs so my dress would hike a bit higher on my thigh. How I longed for him to just reach out and maybe put his other hand on my leg, perhaps the other actually on my shoulder…

"Here's your drinks," the waitress said with a flirtatious wink at both the men as she set them on the table.

"Thanks, love," Sirius said as he grabbed his. After she walked away, he turned to me. "Drink up, Lily dear."

I had some firewhisky, along with some more expensive mead and a couple of fruity drinks. I looked to the dance floor, seeing witches and wizards dancing in one mass of flailing limbs, occasionally shooting sparks or glitter from their wands onto the crowd.

"Let's go," Sirius said as he grabbed my hand. I willingly followed him, and immediately switched from my normal self to an alcohol induced slut. I swung my hips about and ran my hands down my body, shimmying my shoulders a bit. "We've already got him angry, love," Sirius said with a grin.

I turned to look at James, who was staring quite obviously, his lips pressed in a tight line. Sirius grabbed my hips and I backed into him, still moving to the music. His cheeks flushed in anger at that point. "Go get him," Sirius said in my ear, giving my bum a push.

Taking his advice, I sashayed over to Potter. "Care to dance?" I asked, blinking up at him. I held out my hand, hoping…He took it and followed me to the dance floor.

"I'm not very good at this," he confessed.

Turning towards him and leaning closer to ensure he could hear me, I said, "Neither am I." I had a palm on his chest and I started moving, not really caring what I was doing, but watching his reaction. James gazed at me, and I suddenly realized what emotion he was portraying: lust. My heart nearly skipped a beat as he started moving with me. His hands finding my waist.

We moved further into the crowd; someone sent a jet of glitter flying, covering me in the shiny stuff. Bodies pressed closer, and I moved towards James…our bodies collided. His hands were low on my waist, and I started grinding a bit, like I saw other couples do. I put my hands on him, one on his shoulder, one sliding down his chest.

My adrenaline pumping, I saw everything in great detail. Pulsing lights, the couples around us, the sparks falling down…and James Potter. Handsome in his dark clothing, his hair mucked up like he didn't have a care in the world…Then everything else melted away and it was just James and I. He was all I could focus on, all I could see…Then I got bumped into from behind, sending me forward a bit, and we were kissing.

Fireworks exploded behind my eyelids as they automatically shut. I stopped dancing, holding still as his lips brushed mine softly…then with the lust he'd shown earlier, his lips demanded more as his hands wound tightly around me, pulling me flush against his body. My hands moved to his hair as I stood on my toes to try and be level with him. I opened my mouth and he followed suit. His tongue swept against mine. Everything was perfect…

But he pulled back. He looked at me with wide eyes. "I'm sorry, Lily, I'm…sorry."

"Why?" I asked, not removing my hands from his hair. After all, he hadn't taken his off me.

"You're my student…I'm your professor." I got bumped into from behind again, and my body hit his. "Lets leave…we need to talk."

"But Sirius-"

"He'll be fine." James held my hand as we walked to the coat rack and grabbed our cloaks. I covered myself so I wouldn't be subjected to the ashes. We arrived in James' quarters.

"Do you like me?" I asked boldly. James turned and looked at me. I casually took my cloak off, tossing it onto the lumpy couch.

"Of course I like you. You're brilliant. Who _doesn't_ like you?" he replied, his eyes roaming my body. He followed my example and dropped his cloak.

I frowned. "You know that's not what I meant."

"You're my student." He looked like he was trying to convince himself of that, to be honest. "I'm supposed to be teaching you, helping to create a bright future. Not snogging you." James looked into my eyes, blinking a few times behind his glasses.

"Maybe you snogging me _is_ creating a bright future," I teased.

He groaned, plopping into an armchair and throwing his face into his hands. "You're just…just so…Gah."

"You wouldn't believe how frequently someone describes me with that adjective," I said.

"See? There it is again. Why couldn't you have been born a bit earlier?"

"James, you're only three years older than me. That's nothing."

"But then you'd be an adult, out of school-"

"I am an adult," I said with a frown. "And I'll be out of school soon enough."

"You're making this so difficult."

"So you'd rather not snog me?" I asked. I purposely made my voice sound like I was a bit offended. I sat in the armchair next to his.

"I didn't say that." He didn't lift his face.

"Well, I see two options. One: we go on like this never happened and just live out our days with a friendly professor-pupil relationship."

He looked up at me. "And two?"

"Option two: we snog. We do things together, like exploding snap or chess or get piss drunk. But we don't tell anyone. If nobody's there to object, we're perfectly fine. Our business would be our business."

"If we went with option two, you know Sirius would find out."

"If we went with option two, Alice would know."

"Can she keep a secret?"

"Of course she can. She's known everything so far and hasn't gone tattling about me sleeping in my professor's bed."

We were quiet for a bit, just looking at each other. Then, by some miraculous, perhaps divine intervention, he said what I most wanted to hear. "Let's pick option two."

I was moving towards him then, leaning over his armchair and he was reaching for me. Our lips met, and I wasn't disappointed at all. The fireworks were there, and where he touched me, little volts of electricity shot through my body. He pulled me closer, and I was straddling his waist…

"Let's take this slowly," he mumbled as he pulled back a bit, so our lips were hardly brushing. "To make sure this is for all the right reasons."

That was incredibly mature of him. I wasn't likely going to find _that_ in a boy here at school. "If that's what's best," I agreed. I touched our foreheads together and breathed in his scent.

"Perhaps we should get some rest, so we're ready for class tomorrow."

"Mind if I stay?" I asked.

"Not a bit."

I didn't really want to go back to my room, so James loaned me a shirt that was big on him, making it hang mid-thigh on me. We didn't even start sleeping on each side; he pulled me to him right as we got into bed. He kissed me sweetly on the lips, then pulled my back to his chest. I fell asleep listening to his steady breathing in the silence of the castle.

**A/N: Hi. I just wanted to tell you how wonderful you are. Have a great day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you for the lovely reviews. They're what keeps me posting. Just. .jay: No, I've never seen Pretty Little Liars. However, Ezra seems like an awesome name. Maybe I'll check it out? Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

6

"So basically you're taking it slow, and it's the biggest secret since Merlin being gay?" Alice asked.

"Pretty much." We were sitting in my room, lying on the floor shoulder to shoulder in front of the empty fireplace.

She sighed with a smile. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks. You know, it really means a lot to me that you're okay with this. You're the only person I can tell absolutely anything to and you won't go running for the hills."

"You know it," she said with a smile. "So with this whole 'going slow' deal, you won't be getting any for a while."

"That's generally what taking it slow is," I said, looking back down at the book we were hovered over and flipping the page.

"Let me know if you're going to self-destruct from all the pent up sexual tension."

"If that ever becomes a problem, I'll let you know. In the meantime, did you know there's a spell that transfigures your eyes to little pits of fire?"

"No way," Alice said, grinning. "Let's try it."

"Do you think we'll still be able to see?"

"One way to find out."

I completed the spell, first on Alice, then me. "Everything looks redish," I said as I gazed around the room.

"So when am I going to get to meet Potter?"

"You've met him already," I said, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

"I mean as your boyfriend." We undid the transfigurations, making our eyes normal once again.

"I don't know," I said with a shrug. "That wouldn't be weird?"

"Weirder than you snogging your professor?"

"Point taken."

oO0Oo

Alice and I walked through the transfiguration classroom towards James' office door. I didn't even hesitate before knocking. The door opened, and I walked through to find him sitting behind his huge desk correcting essays. "Hello, love," he said with a smile at me. "Miss Pewett," he greeted with a nod.

"Sirius told me he'd be here," I said casually as I sat down in the uncomfortable chair. Alice mimicked me and sat as well.

"I'm sure he will. He expects Alice to be your exact copy; another sharp tongued redhead."

"Sorry to disappoint," Alice said. "We can't all be Lily Evans."

"I'm sure he was kidding," I consoled, slightly embarrassed.

"What was I kidding about?" we heard from the next room.

"The fact that you're a sex god," I said casually. "We've all agreed it's more likely you're a virgin."

He walked into the room, his eyes narrowed. "Keep talking like that, and you'll find out how much of a virgin I'm not," he threatened.

"No, see, that's what Alice is for," I teased. "I'll just toss her to the wolves."

"In case you forgot, I'm taken," Alice informed me. "And being happily shagged by my very non-virgin boyfriend."

"Do tell us more," Sirius said with a wink.

"Finished," James informed us. He waved his wand and the piles of parchment he was surrounded by disappeared.

"So Professor Potter," Alice said with a smirk. "What exactly are your intentions with my Lily?"

"Well, Miss Prewett, my intentions are nothing more than to hold hands and sing ballads."

"In that case, there's no need for me to be here. You'll be broken up before nightfall."

I rolled my eyes. "It's weird for you to call her Miss Pewett," I informed James. "Can it just be Alice?"

"I suppose."

"But I still have to call him 'Professor'?" Alice asked.

"Good point. Maybe just Potter?"

"Sure," James said easily. "As long as we keep it professional in front of the class."

"Yes, Merlin forbid the world finds out you're shagging a student."

"Not shagging," I reminded her.

"Not shagging?" Sirius asked, looking between James and I.

"We're taking it slow." James looked at me with a breathtaking smile and I swear my heart skipped a beat.

"Right. We'll see how long that lasts."

"Exploding snap, anyone?" I asked, changing the subject.

We moved into James' sitting room where we began an intense game, Alice and I versus James and Sirius. We were both quite good, but in the end, it was me who had the singed eyebrows. "Fix them, please?" I asked Alice. She was brilliant with any spells or charms having to do with personal grooming. Within moments they were back to their former glory.

During the game, I had observed a lot. We'd drank a few butterbeers and had some lively conversation. But more than that, I'd seen how perfectly we all got along. Alice didn't see him as a professor any more than James saw her as a student. It went just as it should, and near the end of the evening, Alice was telling me how perfect we were together. "But I have a thing with Frank, so-"

"Just go. Make good choices!" I called after her.

"I should get going as well," Sirius said with a wink. "I'll see you later, Lily. Take good care of your dear professor for me." He vanished into the fireplace, and I vaguely heard, "McKinnon Manor."

"Like the Ravenclaw quidditch captain from two years back?" I asked James.

He nodded. "Sirius and Marlene have been casually dating for years now. But they're both adamant about not being attached in any way. So usually he just sees her when they're looking for a good lay."

I walked to his wardrobe, where I had a pair of pajamas. I changed into them and lay down in the bed; James was still fixing the burns in the table from our game. "James?" I asked.

He looked up and smiled at me. "Yes love?"

"What if You-Know-Who wins?"

James walked over to me and brushed his thumb across my cheek. "That won't happen."

"But if we can't stop him…they say he's so powerful that he can't die."

"Everyone dies."

"I guess."

"Look, Lily. If he wins, we'll just go into hiding, okay? He won't be able to get to us if we can't be found."

"They have tracking spells-"

"And we have untraceable spells. Don't worry, love." James leaned down and kissed me slowly, causing a slight blush to rush across my cheeks. "We'll be alright."

oO0Oo

"Don't be a baby," I whispered to Alice.

"But you _know_ his mum hates me."

"I dare you to hug her."

"Don't be cruel," Alice said, glaring.

"Are you a Gryffindor or not?"

"Fine. I'll hug Mrs. Longbottom. Just know it's your fault when I get jinxed to tiny pieces of shattered Alice."

"What's so wrong with Frank's mum?" James asked. I jumped, not realizing he was there. Looking around, I saw the class was practicing different spells.

"Frank's her perfect angel. Nobody's good enough for him, according to her."

"And you dared her to hug the hag?" James asked me.

"What else would I do?" I asked with a wink.

"Professor?" someone called. "I think I messed up."

"I've got to go. Practice…something," James said as he walked away.

"I like how he knows you're so good that you don't even need to do your work," Alice said.

"Hey, Lily, can you help me?" Hestia and Mary were there. "You know I suck at this," Mary said.

"Yeah, of course."

oO0Oo

"So you guys still do the dares?" James asked me after class.

"Yeah, we do dares."

"My class started that, you know."

"I remember," I said with a laugh.

"And you had to prove yourself a true Gryffindor by completing the dare, no matter how ridiculous. Once, my friends and I got dared to go streaking through Hogsmeade."

"I know…I saw the whole thing," I admitted. I sat on the edge of his desk as he sat in his chair.

"So you've seen me naked," he said with a devilish smile.

"To be fair, you've seen me part naked as well," I said. This was the first time I brought up that disastrous first day. I blushed as his eyes moved downward.

"Did you like what you saw?" James asked arrogantly.

"You expect me to answer that?" I asked with a laugh.

"I_ dare_ you to answer that."

I gulped. "In that case, I liked what I saw. Maybe too much." I refused to look away from his laughing eyes. "And you should also know it's my fault you got in trouble for it."

"What? Why?" he asked.

"Slughorn made me tell what I knew, since I was the only one close enough before you put those masks on."

"I forgive you," James said with a wink. "Speaking of Slughorn, weren't you supposed to be in his office by now? I thought he invited you for dinner."

"I'd rather miss it; I don't need to listen to him tell everyone how brilliant I am, especially since I'm muggleborn and have no famous ancestors."

"He really is a Slytherin, deep down, though he means no harm," James said thoughtfully as his hand rested on my thigh.

"It's just annoying. If I wanted someone telling me how brilliant I am, I'd just go do spells in front of some first years."

"Does that mean you don't like hearing how amazing and incredible you are?"

I reached out and ran a hand through his hair. "I only like it when it's from you," I said with a wink.

"In that case," he stood up and bent over so his hands were on either side of me, on his desk, and his face was so close to mine that I had a difficult time concentrating. "You're the cleverest witch I've ever met." James' breath was warm, and it gave me goosebumps.

I couldn't take it anymore; I reached up my hands and pulled his face down to where I could kiss him. His tongue made its way into my mouth…

"You guys, anyone could have walked in here." I pulled back to see Alice in the doorway. "At least make it to the office."

"Is there a reason you're here?" I asked, gritting my teeth.

"Yes. Slughorn wanted to make sure you're alright, because you never showed up to his party."

"I'm perfectly fine, as you can see."

"I'll just tell him you've drowned in the lake. Have fun, you two."

"Maybe we should go somewhere a little more private," James suggested.

I was about to get up when he swooped down and picked me up bridal style. "James!" I exclaimed with a laugh. He'd completely taken me by surprise.

"Lily," he replied with a smirk. He sat on an armchair and started turning me. I complied and was soon straddling him, his hands on my waist.

I definitely thought we would go further than just a good snog. The way he kissed me…it was different than any of my other kisses. Those kisses had been from other teenagers who were still exploring, learning what they liked and how to do things. James knew how to kiss, and kiss well. He was a man. I brushed my hand along his jaw, feeling his slight stubble. My stomach started doing cartwheels and my heart pounded. He pulled me closer, and for the first time I felt a hardness beneath me. I couldn't help but smirk a bit as his lips traveled down my neck. I gasped as he nipped at my collar bone. My back arched into him. Merlin, the way he made me feel!

Off in the distance, the clock tower rang. "I have to go do rounds," I said breathlessly as he sucked on my neck, right where it was sensitive. Had we really been snogging for that long?

"Skip them," he murmured. James' lips went to mine again; his tongue dived right in.

I pulled back and stood up before he could stop me. "I can't. I'm sorry."

He pouted and adjusted the collar of his shirt. "One more kiss?"

I swooped down and pecked him on the lips, avoiding his arms as he tried to snatch me. "I'll see you in an hour," I promised. I left, hoping not to catch anybody; I knew, even without looking, that I had a huge love bite on my left side.

As it turns out, near the end of my shift, I did catch someone…my first crush…and my first kiss. "Your detention will be tomorrow at 4," I told him as I scratched his name on a piece of parchment. I looked up into John Winslet's eyes, which were so brown they almost blended in with his pupils.

"Been snogging someone?" he asked bluntly.

"That's none of your business," I replied coolly.

"Come on, Evans, we used to be close. You can tell me, I won't care."

"Get back to your dormitory."

"Your lips are swelling, which means it wasn't that long ago. And your hickey is huge, by the way; you should cover it up before tomorrow."

"Leave."

"No need to be cold. Is it a boyfriend?"

"If you don't leave, I'll give you another detention."

He smiled at me like that was the best news in the world. "If you don't have a boyfriend, you won't mind this." John leaned forward suddenly and mashed his lips against mine. I was completely startled, and tried to fight him off as his arms went around me and he pushed me back towards the wall.

I tried to go for my wand; he was strong, a quidditch jock, and with one hand captured both my wrists and had them up against the wall, over my head. "I've missed you," he murmured. His kisses rang of sloppiness; I felt absolutely nothing. I bit his lip.

"So you like it rough?" he asked.

"Get the fuck off of me!" I yelled as he kissed me again; his free hand was getting a bit too high for my liking…

"What's going on here?" I recognized his voice, even through its unnatural icy tone.

John pulled back and released my arms. I immediately got my wand and scooted away from him. "Nothing, professor," John said.

"Bullshit!" I exclaimed. "Professor Potter, he was trying to take advantage of me!" I glared at John. "Detention every night for the next month."

"Is this true? Did she tell you to stop?" James looked at John, crossing his arms.

"Well, I didn't think…" his voice trailed off and he looked at me. "You really didn't want me?" he seemed genuinely confused.

"No, you bastard," I growled.

"Language, Miss Evans," James said lightly. "John, your detentions will be arranged by me, and you also just lost Ravenclaw seventy points. Now off to bed." He turned and left without another word.

As soon as he rounded the corner, James was there, his arms around me. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine now," I said with a shrug. "I'd just like to brush my teeth and wash my mouth."

"If he ever touches you again, come straight to me, you hear?" James said as he removed one arm and started walking with me. As we passed portraits, they made tisking sounds at us, which we deftly ignored.

"I will, but I doubt he'll try anything else. Your timing was impeccable."

He looked around then pulled out a piece of parchment. "Another secret; I was looking for you. I thought I could walk with you for the last bit of your round. I heard you yell at him, so I came running."

"It's incredible," I said. I watched our two dots, slightly overlapping, move down the hallway. "This shows everyone? How did you do this?"

"It was Remus' idea, and I did the fancy wandwork. It was a combination of tracking and plotting spells. After the fourth attempt we got it down. It's even password protected." We entered his classroom, passed through his office, and I went straight to his bed. I merely kicked off my robes, leaving me in a tank top and knickers. I slid under the covers, still examining the map.

"Looks like Alice is spending the night with Frank," I giggled. They were in the boy's dormitory. I hoped they were using silencing charms. Then I froze. "Does this mean everyone else could create something like this? So potentially anyone could know about us."

James was shaking his head. "I doubt anyone else could have made this work. I hate to brag, but I've got some powerful minded friends. The only one who I could see having something like this would be Dumbledore, and somehow I doubt he'd care."

"You don't think he'd care you were sleeping with one of his students?"

"I don't think he would care, because it's me, and it's you."

"That makes no sense." James was now stripped down to his pants and he slid into bed next to me.

"I only mean that he would trust me to have his back in a fight, so I think he'd trust me with you."

"That's right. You're in his cult."

"You sure have a way with words, love." James waved his wand and the lights went out. His wand tapped the parchment as he said, "Mischief managed." Within seconds it was blank; he tugged it out of my grip and tossed it somewhere at the same time he turned me and started kissing me.

I could get used to this. But I probably never would.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading, once again. This chapter is dedicated to those of you who have stuck with me from the beginning, and especially those who take the time to review. **


	7. Chapter 7

7

Days turned to weeks at Hogwarts. The trees were bare and the air was cold. Quidditch season was in full swing, Gryffindor just barely holding first from Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff usually third, and to everyone else's delight, Slytherin's team this year was absolutely dreadful.

Alice's birthday was in the middle of November. Frank proposed, and she said yes. I wasn't surprised; the two of them were meant to be together. Of course they would get married. I was just a bit surprised at how early they'd decided. I was to be the maid of honor, and we actually looked at a few dresses in Hogsmeade once.

In early December, I could be found in James' room in my spare time. I studied there, I relaxed there, I slept there…and most of my clothes were there. I was mostly moved in, and James told me he wouldn't want it any other way. Even Alice was in the habit of looking for me first in James' rooms.

Of course, there were plenty of close calls. I'd forgotten James had a class of second years during my free period, and almost walked out from his office in the middle of it. He'd blamed the opening door on an invisible ghost. Another time, I'd been asleep in James' bed when Professor Greene decided to come talk to him, insisting on coming through his office to his rooms. I'd rolled off the bed and landed between it and a wall; James hastily closed the door to his bedroom when Greene wasn't looking. Once James had thoughtlessly reached out to me in class; Alice saw it coming first and shoved me, so to anyone watching it looked like I was falling and he was reaching out to steady me.

But no matter the risk, we'd both agreed it was definitely worth it.

"What are you doing for Christmas?" James asked me one day.

I looked up from my book. "I'll just stay here, and maybe sneak to Alice's for Christmas day if I have nothing else to do."

"Would you like to come to my house?" James asked.

"For the whole winter break?" I then thought about what he said. "You have a house, even though you live here?"

"Well, it's my parent's house…Potter Manor," he explained.

"You want me to meet your parents."

"Yeah, as long as it's okay with you." James gave me a timid smile that I hesitantly returned.

"Your parents won't mind that a girl is sleeping in the same bed as you?"

"I completely doubt it. They're a pair of romantics, them." He crinkled his nose a bit, which was quite adorable; it made his glasses slip.

"Then yes, I'll come to your house for Christmas break." I couldn't help but the grin that appeared on my face as I turned back to my book. With a quick peek up, I saw James had a smile as well.

oO0Oo

"I know exactly what to get Frank," Alice said with a devilish grin.

"What are you thinking?" I asked. It was the last Hogsmeade trip before Christmas holiday, and we were supposed to be getting presents for everyone. We'd split up from Hestia and Mary so we could get them presents as well.

"I'm not sure your virginal ears could stand to hear it."

"Just spit it out," I said with a laugh.

"Just some new lingerie and a few types of edible sprays and body paint-"

"Maybe I don't want to know," I amended. "And I still think it's weird you're further than me." I'd always been the one more experienced than any of the girls: first kiss, first touches…and now they'd all gotten shagged except me.

"Perhaps that's what you should get Potter," she said with a suggestive grin. "You can hand him your 'V card'."

"That's not a thing," I said with an eye roll. "And he's the one who wanted to take it slow, remember?"

"It is too a thing, and you have taken it slow. He's not going to be patient forever, you know." I followed her into a store that you had to be seventeen to enter. I followed her around as she picked up a few things, which I refused to look at.

After we left, I asked, "So what do you think James would want?" she opened her mouth, but I cut her off before she could begin. "And nothing to do with sex."

"You know him better than I do. You tell me. What does he like?"

"He likes quidditch, reading, advanced spells and such…he likes chess and exploding snap," I raddled off, "and he likes matured mead, the expensive kind from Rosmerta."

"Then let's go to the three broomsticks. At least that's a start to a great evening."

"That's quite the stone on your finger," Rosmerta had said with a kind smile to Alice after we ordered my present for James. "So Frank finally proposed?"

"What do you mean, finally?" she seemed confused.

"He's had that ring since the first Hogsmeade weekend; I saw him showing his friends."

"Really?" she asked.

"It's no surprise to me. You've been dating nearly four years."

"You know, in third year, those boys had a game of truth or dare, some spell on it so they couldn't lie," she described. "And little Longbottom confessed that if he could marry anyone, he'd marry you." She handed me the bottle, wrapped in paper and an earthy bow tied on.

"Oh," Alice said, turning a bit pink.

I handed Rosmerta the galleons I owed her and bid her goodbye. The present seemed a bit impersonal, though it was expensive. I'd still have to do some brainstorming.

After I got presents for everyone else, Alice and I walked arm-in-arm to dinner; we vanished our parcels to our rooms. We had a lively debate with Frank and his friends over who would get second, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. It was just another day at Hogwarts.

I returned to James' room after, to find him grading essays vigorously. "You missed dinner," I informed him.

He jumped, not hearing me come in. "Oh. I'll just run to the kitchens when I'm done, or maybe call a house elf." He chewed on the end of his quill, then making a face as part of the feather fell out.

"I'll go for you," I volunteered. The kitchens weren't that far from here, and I bought him some brisket and potatoes as well as treacle tart for us both. He smiled at me as I set down some food on his desk in front of him. "Can it wait until later?" I asked.

"That was my last one. Some of those Hufflepuffs sure are duffers."

"Of course. Not everyone can be Gryffindor." I took a bite of my tart; it was delicious as always.

"Get all your shopping done?"

"I got a fair start," I said with a shrug. "Get all your work done?"

"No, I've still got to plan my classes for fifth and sixth years for the rest of the month."

"That can wait until tomorrow though, right?" I asked with a hopeful smile.

"If you like." He'd wolfed down his plate, as was his custom, and was now working on his tart. "Did you want to do something?"

I waited until he was finished and brushing off crumbs before I jumped onto him, pushing him back against his chair and straddling his lap. "I was thinking of a few things we could do," I murmured, feeling heat rise through my body.

"Excellent idea," he replied, looking at my lips. I didn't waste any time; I plunged my tongue into his mouth with the hunger I'd been holding back all week. He didn't hesitate before taking action, and our tongues battled for control. My hands slipped into his hair and his slid down my body, at my waist, up my back, even at my thigh.

James picked me up; I wrapped my legs around him as he carried me to his rooms, never breaking the kiss.

My back hit his mattress and my heart was pounding. I reached out for his robes, and to my surprise they were undone. They easily slid off of him; he didn't seem to mind as I shoved them away, leaving him in his underthings.

And then the hand that wasn't wound in my hair moved up, up…and it was touching my breast, gently massaging it over my clothes, circling around its peak. I gasped against his lips when he gave it a slight pinch. "Is this alright?" he murmured, his voice even deeper with lust.

"Mmmhmm," I hummed in approval. We kissed almost frantically. I vaguely thought Alice might've been right; it was time to get more serious.

I pushed his shoulder slightly. He understood my meaning and rolled, keeping his hand on my lower back firmly in place so I was pressed against him. James' hands moved to my robes, pushing them off, so I was in my skirt and blouse. His hands found my waist again and he started tugging at my blouse, succeeding in untucking it. I felt his fingers brushing against the bare skin of my lower back, then a bit higher, tracing my spine. His hands were so large, one nearly took up the whole width of my upper back.

My lower abdomen was tingling with want as his hands traced along the edges of my bra. Gooseflesh broke out where his breath caressed my neck as his lips moved to my neck, gently sucking and biting as I moaned, unable to stop myself. With an expert flick of his fingers, my bra came undone and his arms wrapped around me, flipping us over again, pinning me beneath him. My cheeks flushed as his hands inched their way under my bra.

My body craved his touch; I pulled at my blouse, unbuttoning it. He helped push it off my shoulders, and my bra came along. James kissed me lustfully as he felt my bare chest for the first time. I couldn't help but smile against his lips, and he chuckled at my reaction.

I reached out and slid my hands across his chest, almost copying his movements. James' muscles were well defined, which I knew. It made me feel suddenly self conscious as he stopped kissing me and gazed at my body. I nervously bit my lip, a habit I'd thought I'd overcome. "You're beautiful," he said with a smile. His lips were then at my ear, down my neck, then at my breasts, ravishing them thoroughly. I tried to hold back a moan but failed. The things this man could do to me…

There was a knock; not extremely loud, but with enough volume to grab our attention. "Maybe they'll go away if we ignore them," James murmured. He lied down on top of me and my legs fell open and we were pressed intimately together, sending excited chills through my body as he started kissing me again.

But with another knock, this time more insistent, I broke our lips and said, "You should go see who it is. Maybe it's important."

James hesitated for a moment, peering through his glasses into my eyes. "This isn't over," he warned.

"I know," I said. I was looking forward to it. He started to get dressed, which meant simply pulling on his robes and shoes. "Try to fix your hair," I said. There wasn't much that could be done about his lips, which were slightly swollen at the moment.

"Thanks," James said with a smile as he ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it a bit . I pulled his sheet over my body as I lay face down in his bed.

James stayed out for a while, long enough for me to calm down until I was relaxed, lying on a bed. I faintly heard the talking, but with two exams that day, I was mentally exhausted. In another few moments, I was asleep.

oO0Oo

"Wake up Evans."

"No," I mumbled as I snuggled my face further into the pillow.

"Where's James?"

"Go away."

"You give me no other choice." Suddenly I was lifted from the warm blankets I was wrapped in, and only wearing a baggy jumper and some knickers.

"Aah!" I shrieked as my eyes flew open. "Put me down!"

"You're no fun," he chuckled as he dropped me into an armchair.

"Why are you here at," I glanced to the clock, "Eight fifty in the morning?"

"I came to see Prongs. Why aren't you at breakfast?"

"Today is the one day this month where I have a free period first. I had planned on sleeping in." I glared at Sirius.

"Sorry, love." He was walking to the door.

"You can't just go out there!" I exclaimed. "What if there's students? You're technically not allowed to be here without permission from Dumbledore," I lectured.

"Lily dear, I do have permission from Dumbledore to be here, and I would only be enhancing the classroom experience for those lucky students."

"What's going on?" James asked from the doorway.

"Sirius woke me up."

"I had to tell my class it was that ghost again," he said with a slight frown. "Could you two keep it down?"

"I need to talk to you," Sirius said.

"I know, I talked to McKinnon last night."

"When's your class over?"

I crossed my arms. "Will someone tell me what's going on?"

"That bird's a nightmare," Sirius told James. "I don't know why you keep her around." He had an infuriating smirk on his face; he was just trying to piss me off.

I ran the few steps to James and leaped into his very stunned arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and snogged him soundly. He made a surprised noise in the back of his throat before returning the kiss, easily keeping me up.

"Right. That's why he keeps you around," Sirius said.

I kept going; it was impossible to stop. He was a drug that dragged me under, the oxygen I needed to survive…he was James.

"For Merlin's sake, I get your point," Sirius exclaimed.

"I need to teach my class," James said against my lips, even as his hands were sliding up my legs and tracing the edges of my knickers.

"Come back soon," I replied, opening my eyes and uncrossing my ankles. I dropped right in front of him. James kissed me once more and walked away.

"You put on quite the show," Sirius said as we heard James faintly call the class back to order.

"I really can't help it," I said as I conjured a steaming cup of tea with my wand. I settled into an armchair.

"Have you shagged him yet?"

"No," I said with a small sigh.

"He's really got it bad for you, you know?" Sirius asked as he plopped into another chair.

"He can't possibly have it worse than I do."

"Eh, it doesn't matter. You two will be married within the year anyways."

"Yeah right."

"Just wait, Lils. And let me tell you a secret." Sirius dramatically wagged his eyebrows and leaned closer.

"What?" I asked, leaning in a bit as well.

"He goes crazy when you wear one of his shirts to bed, with just some knickers."

"I've only done that twice before," I said, thinking out loud as I looked at my Puddlemore United shirt I was sporting.

"Give it a try. You'll find I'm right."

"I really don't think it'll have that much power over him."

"I dare you to try it, Evans."

"I suppose you've never been wrong before."

"Of course not. I'm smarter than you give me credit for. I may not apply myself where others deemed it necessary, but I'm quite the thinker."

"I'm sure you're smarter than Rowena Ravenclaw herself, dear," I said as I got up and made my way to the bathroom. "And because I'm such a nice person, I'll tell you that James as second period free."

"Thanks, love," he called out to me as I shut the bathroom door.

The day went relatively fast. I aced my Herbology exam, and got an O on the essay I'd handed in previously to Potions. In Defense Against the Dark Arts I got us ten points to Gryffindor for my perfect nonverbal spell. I felt like I was on a roll, quite literally, since the time that day was flying. So after I finished my homework that night, I snatched a shirt from James' wardrobe and slipped it on. I smiled when I saw it was his Chudley Cannons shirt – we were always arguing over quidditch teams.

"Lily?" he called. "Have you gone to bed already?"

"Not yet," I replied.

"Good, it's only eight thirty, so I thought we could-" his talking abruptly stopped, and I looked to the doorway where he stood, looking me over.

"Yes?"

"I thought we could do something together," James said distantly. In that moment, had Sirius Black been there, I would have hugged him. It seemed he was right about James' preference in my apparel.

"What were you thinking?"

James' gaze traveled up my body, and he turned into the seductive man I'd fantasized about, before we'd gotten together. In two long strides, he was wrapping his arms around me and kissing me soundly. I tugged him backwards to where I knew his bed was and let myself fall back, pulling James onto me. My breathing got heavier and I felt my cheeks blush. I couldn't help it.

"I was thinking this." His hands roamed from the back of my knees, over my waist, under the shirt.

I felt desperate, in that moment; he was all that I wanted. I started yanking his clothes roughly, eventually getting him down to his boxers. When I went to pull those off, too, his hands caught mine and put them over my head, trapping both my wrists with one hand. "Patience," he said insufferably.

"James," I said as I felt his hardness against my thigh.

"Yes, love?" I squirmed, positively dripping down below; I'd never wanted anyone so much in my life.

"I want you." Was that all it took? A simple three-word sentence? His darkened eyes met mine before giving me a mind-blowing snog. I tried to reach out to him, but his hand firmly held mine down. His other ran up my arched back and undid my bra.

Here we go…


	8. Chapter 8

**Miss me?**

8

"James!" someone yelled. I jumped. When the hell did someone else get here?

James yanked blankets over me, covering my exposed skin just as Sirius burst through the door. "What?" James growled, glaring.

"McKinnon's trapped and Dumbledore's launching a rescue mission. We need to go, now."

"Fuck!" he growled. I couldn't help but agree. Now, of all times?

"Prongs, now!" Sirius had never looked more, well, serious.

"I'm so sorry," James said to me. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." He got up out of bed and grabbed his discarded robes and pulled them on along with a pair of practical trainers.

Completely frustrated I put an arm over my face. "Be careful," I said.

"We will," James said. He bent down and gave me a small kiss. "I'll be back soon."

They jumped into the fireplace to Dumbledore's office and I was left feeling quite frustrated sexually.

oO0Oo

The whole next day I was preoccupied. What was James doing? How much danger was he in? I'd seen what he does with his group of misfits, battling the dark wizards. That put no reassurance in my mind whatsoever about his safety.

"Where were you last night?" Hestia asked as she swung herself into the seat next to me in the great hall.

"Huh?" I asked, looking up.

"I went looking for you and couldn't find you. You weren't in your rooms, the library, the owlery, here, the common rooms, or that old classroom on the sixth floor. So where were you?"

I thought fast. "Maybe you just missed me. I was in the library, but then left and went to bed. Perhaps it was bad timing."

"I can't ever find you anymore," she complained. "You're almost as bad as Alice disappearing to be with Frank all the time."

"I'm sorry," I said sincerely. "Why were you looking for me?"

"I needed a bit of guidance in potions and was thinking you could help."

"Sure. After Herbology?" I offered.

"Sounds good." At that point Mary sat across from us in a huff. "Why're you all wet?" Hestia asked.

"We appear to be having a bit of rain," she said sarcastically.

"Shouldn't it be snowing?" Hestia said in confusion.

I glanced at the ceiling just in time for a magnificent bolt of lightning to be thrown across the sky. An earsplitting boom rattled the room. "It's the apocalypse," I said sinisterly, wagging my eyebrows.

Mary understood my reference and chuckled a bit while Hestia looked at us like we were mad. "You're crazy," Hestia decided. "You're slowly loosing your mind, a little piece at a time."

"Oh, lighten up," I said with a smirk at Mary, who was giggling right along with us. "How about tonight we get drunk and go streaking through the halls?" I suggested innocently.

"That's it. You've lost it." Hestia got up and walked down the table towards her boyfriend.

"It's okay," Mary said. "At least you're smart."

"Lily?"

I turned. "Yeah?" I asked. It was Nathan Brown from Hufflepuff, a prefect.

"How're you today?" he asked, sitting next to me.

"Well, thanks," I said as I shot Mary a confused look. She simply shrugged and kept eating as another bolt of lightning flashed across the ceiling. "And you?"

"I'm excellent," he replied. "Not even the rain could damper my mood."

"I love rain," I said. "There's something so beautiful about it."

"Er-if you say so," Nathan said with a smile. "Listen, I was wondering if you would like to go to Hogsmeade with me on Saturday?"

Well that was a surprise. "It's really nice of you to offer, Nathan, but I've already got plans with someone else," I said with a small smile. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, no worries," he said easily. "It's not a problem. But I've got to get to class. See you around."

As he left, Mary started giggling. "Way to shoot him down, Lils."

"I really do have plans, though," I thoughtlessly blurted.

"With who?" she asked.

"Me, myself, and I are going to stay in bed and drink hot coco," I replied.

"Oh, that's no fun. Nathan's a nice guy. Why not give him a chance?"

"I'm just not interested right now," I replied. "Perhaps _you_ could give it a go, though."

"Oh, he'd never go for me if he wants you," she said with a wave of her hand. "But he was right, we should get to class."

Mary and I walked to double Herbology, where we stayed partners for that day's lesson.

As we made our way through the storms back to the castle we got completely soaked. "I'm going to shower before dinner," I decided. "I'll be down in a while."

My teeth were chattering as I made my way to James' room. I stripped down and turned on the water to a steaming temperature. The storm raged outside. Seriously, why wasn't it snowing? It was almost Christmas holiday, for crying out loud. Next week, I realized.

I slowly warmed up and started washing my hair. When I was done I dressed in my pajamas and slid a pair of blue casual robes overtop to hide them.

Down at the great hall, people were already feasting. I got a spot next to Alice and scooped up some of the pasta being served. "People are saying the Black Lake's flooding over."

"Really," I said, looking up.

"Yeah," Said Alice. "A couple of sixth years were down there and they told us that the water's already up past the rocks on the south end."

"When will this rain end?" I asked.

"Well whenever it does, it will probably ice over. The air outside is almost freezing," Mary said from down the table a bit.

I helped Hestia with her homework in the Gryffindor common room for a while, and we all finished our Herbology homework. After a game of chess which I won by a thread I decided to take an early night.

I was suddenly awoken by the sound of loud thunder. I frowned; it had been thundering all day. Something else had to have woken me up. I sat up slowly and the door to the bedroom started opening.

Remembering I was in James' room, I quickly and silently slid off the side of the bed.

"Lily?"

"James!" I exclaimed in relief. I jumped up and ran towards him.

"I'm all wet," he warned.

"I don't care," I said as I jumped into his arms.

He hugged me back; he was absolutely drenched and freezing. "I'm sorry I woke you."

I looked into his eyes. "I would've wanted you to anyways," I said. I was now soaked through my pajamas and there was a puddle at our feet. I had goosebumps from his cold skin. "I'm so glad you're back." I leaned forward and kissed him softly, which drove me crazy.

"Me too," he murmured as his hands traveled lower and he kissed me again.

"You should get warm before you catch a cold," I said as my heart pounded with anticipation.

"I guess you're soaked too." James backed up a bit.

_You have no idea. _"I'm fine," I said with a smile as I tugged at his robe and pushed it over his shoulders. I stood there, in the dark, undressing James. He had clothes on I'd never seen before; a casual muggle tee and some blue jeans.

"You sure?" he asked as I ran my hands suggestively over his body.

"_You_ sure?" I replied as I started unbuttoning my top. His hands quickly replaced mine and soon I was topless and he was kissing me, and we were fire and ice as we tumbled across the mattress.

His hands massaged my breasts as I buried my fingers in his hair. "I mean, unless you're tired," I said breathlessly.

James practically growled as his lips moved down. I chuckled until his lips hit my breasts, licking and blowing, cooling my heated skin and making more gooseflesh appear. His hair was still dripping water, adding to the effect and causing me to arch my back.

"Right where we left off," he murmured.

"Not exactly."

"Hm?" James was kissing down my abdomen now. I sucked in breath as he flicked his tongue into my belly button.

"You didn't have trousers," I shakily replied.

"We'll have to do something about that," he murmured as his lips made it to my waistline. James tugged at my pajama bottoms which came down easily. I kicked them off my ankles and could hardly control my breathing. He kissed my area over my knickers and I moaned loudly and embarrassingly. I quickly shoved my hand over my mouth.

And he was up to my face again, pushing away my hand and snogging me. "Don't cover your mouth," he murmured as his lips went to my neck and started sucking at a sensitive point. "I want to hear you."

James was tugging my knickers down. Thank Merlin I'd taken care of the hair down there. He was pulling my legs open and his fingers started to find their way around. "Gahh," I said.

"Do you trust me?" he murmured.

"Yes," I panted. He'd just found my clit and his finger was rubbing slow circles.

He murmured a spell with his wand that I recognized as contraception, and then my hands were roped to the headboard and a soft light came on overhead.

"That's better," he said.

"Mmm," was all I could reply. A hand stayed down below as his other one and mouth worked at my breasts. I felt a finger inside me.

"You're so wet." That finger started to pump as his thumb rubbed my nub faster and his tongue swirled around my nipple.

"Hah," I said. I felt hot. I was on fire, and didn't even feel the coldness of James anymore.

His lips came down and I started thrashing a bit. His hands held my waist steady as he sucked on my nub and I exclaimed, "Yes!"

Fingers started thrusting, faster and faster and curved inward and I lost it, screaming out James' name as my whole body trembled and my hips locked forward.

"Merlin, Lily."

I opened my heavy eyelids to see his obvious erection. "Let me go," I said.

He gave me a funny look and undid the spell. He didn't even have his arm down before I was ripping the rest of his clothes off. I shoved him down on the bed and gripped his length. James sucked in a breath and gripped the sheets. I leaned down and kissed his head. Then I took him into my mouth and gave him a good suck. He moaned a bit as I started moving, my hands rubbing his balls.

It didn't take too long to get him there, five minutes or five hours, I had no idea, but with a thrust up and "Lily!" he was cumming into my mouth. Surprised, I swallowed.

"Lily," he said again, pulling me on top of him. He kissed me soundly and I was surprised he did, but I kissed him back.

We fell asleep like that, in each other's arms with lightning flashing outside and us in our now very warm bed.

**A/N: Don't worry. I never leave anything unfinished, so even if it's a while between updates, they will keep coming. Your messages to update give me a good kick in the right direction, however (;**


	9. Chapter 9

9

I slowly stretched. I was in that place between sleep and awareness where everything was far away and I was pleasantly warm and happy. My hand brushed skin and my eyes slowly opened as I grazed my hand up James' side.

His fingers caught my hand and his eyes opened. James looked so relaxed and happy, lying there without his glasses. "Morning," I said quietly. He held my hand on his chest.

"Good morning, love." James reached out and tucked a bit of hair behind my ear. "How did you sleep?"

"Wonderfully," I replied. "You?"

"Never better." James tugged me until I was lying on top of him. We fit so perfectly together, my soft body against his harder one.

"What time is it?" I asked, nuzzling my face into his chest.

"Nine thirty."

I raised my head, my eyes getting bigger. "I'm missing class," I said.

"You may as well not even go," James said with a smile. "I don't have a class this morning," he said suggestively. "We could just stay here." His hands started trailing along my body.

"Now I really feel like a naughty schoolgirl," I laughed. "Skipping class to stay with my professor and all."

"So you'll stay?"

"Until my next class," I said with a wink as I rose off him. "I suppose I'll need a shower before class, though." I dragged the sheet with me and walked over to the bathroom. As I disappeared behind the door I dropped the sheet where James could obviously see it. I turned the water on and only had one foot in when James pushed me against the wall and started snogging me breathless.

oO0Oo

"Where were you this morning?" Alice asked in a whisper as Slughorn droned on about the properties of unicorn hair.

I looked around to see if anyone was within earshot. Leaning close, I whispered, "I was with James," and gave her a meaningful look.

She squealed, causing everyone to look our direction. "Is everything alright, Miss Prewitt?" Slughorn asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, yes," she said. "I'm perfectly fine." Her eyes were twinkling at him as he gave us a weary look.

"Do try to pay attention, even though it's the last day before the holidays."

"Yes, sir," she said with a nod.

He continued teaching, and eventually we got released for lunch. Alice pulled me aside and into a broom closet, lighting up her wand and shining it above us. "Your turn?" I asked sarcastically.

"How did it happen?" she yelled.

"Well, it's not exactly what you think," I said in a lower voice, hoping nobody heard us. "I mean, we just went down on each other. There was no actual…sex."

"Of course that's still sex," she said. "Just not traditional baby-making sex. What made you two decide it was time?"

"He came back, and I realized how much I missed him, how worried I was…and I couldn't help myself. It just happened."

"So how did you like it?"

"It was incredible," I confessed. "And then this morning we took a long shower together, and we ended up doing it again. Can we go eat now?" My stomach let out a loud growl.

"As long as you keep talking," she said. We walked down the corridors and continued our conversations in whispers. "So do you think you'll go the rest of the way tonight?"

"I have no idea, to be honest," I said. "I mean, what happens once we do? That's the peak of our relationship, right? So is it just downhill from there?" Oh Merlin, what if he lost interest in me? That's why muggles saw it fit to wait for marriage, so there wasn't any backing out…

"Not at all," Alice said with a wave of her ringed hand. "You keep finding new ways to do it, and it's the best thing that'll ever happen to you. Just you wait."

We made it to the hall and she started whispering. "You're such a naughty schoolgirl, going at it with your professor."

"Shh," I scolded, though I couldn't help but grin. "Someone'll hear you."

"Will you get better grades for this?" she continued. "Will you blush every time you make eye contact in class?"

"I will make you shut up," I said, twirling my wand threateningly as we sat down at the table.

"Relax. I'm just happy I get to see you in his class this afternoon."

I scowled at her and bit into the sandwich I'd grabbed.

After Herbology we made it to the transfiguration classroom where Alice and I took our seats in front of Mary and Hestia. I turned around and talked to Mary about the Herbology assignment until the class quieted, the sign James had entered the classroom. I turned around but kept my eyes down. Alice giggled next to me and I flipped her off behind my textbook.

It was a theoretical lesson that day, learning things I'd gone over last night when I'd looked ahead in the book. I sat and started scratching at a piece of parchment, hunched over and using my arms to strategically cover my drawing. I wasn't paying attention at all, until suddenly Alice nudged me. I looked up to see her laughing eyes.

"Miss Evans?" James asked.

"Er, what?"

"I asked you which of the strategies you preferred."

"Envisioning," I responded hastily, still covering up my drawing.

"And why is that?"

"I have a good imagination," I responded.

"I see," he said with a nod. "Would you care to demonstrate? I'd like this beetle to become a swan, nonverbally."

I stood up, hastily shoving my parchment in Alice's lap. She, being the amazing friend she was, tucked it into her bag, not questioning anything, still silently laughing at me. I went up to the teeny beetle sitting on James' desk. Thinking hard and ignoring my professor, I jabbed my wand at the beetle. It immediately swelled in size until it became a regal swan, squawking and flapping its wings.

"Ten points to Gryffindor," James said as the class clapped a few times. "That was quite impressive."

I made my way to my seat as he began talking again. "Should I even ask about your picture?" Alice whispered.

"No," I responded with a blush.

Eventually we were dismissed and I scrambled out of class with Alice in tow. "Thanks for taking that for me," I said. "Can I have it back?"

"Yeah, but is this really what he looks like?" she said, unrolling the parchment and studying the picture I'd drawn. "You're such a good drawer, I feel like a talentless lump."

"Oh, shut up," I said with a glare. "And if you must know…yes. He's very fit; I've told you this."

"But that 'v'…"

I snatched the sketch back. "I know. Go take a cold shower," I said crabbily.

"Hey, settle down. I'm happy, remember?" she asked, fluttering her ring under my nose.

"I know," I sighed. "I'm just afraid he'll loose interest in me, you know?"

"No, I don't. He won't loose interest in you because you're one sexy bird and we all know it. Now after dinner, you're gonna march up to him and show him how amazing you are," she commanded. "No way he's ever going to let you go."

"And that's why I love you," I said with a sigh, hooking my arm with hers.

Turns out after dinner we all went to my rooms and had a huge study session on Transfiguration until each of my friends understood everything perfectly. I'll admit I had quite the advantage; James answered all my questions fully and understandably until I was an expert on the subject.

When they all left around nine thirty, I slowly cleaned up my room. Nearly shaking with nerves I walked back to James' room. Why was I so nervous?

I walked through his classroom, into his office, and slipped into his room. Surprisingly, he wasn't there. Relaxed, I slipped my robe, shoes, and socks off; I untucked my shirt and whipped my tie into my top drawer. I pointed my wand at the phonograph in the corner and unbuttoned the top few buttons as I started moving to the admittedly old fashioned music. I twirled, letting my skirt fly around me as I turned the music up.

I put my arms out and tugged my hair out of its neat bun, letting the waves fall down my back and whipped it around as I twirled.

Strong arms wrapped around me, swaying with me. My eyes flew open and I giggled. He spun me around and put his hand on my waist, the other holding my hand and he led me as we danced around the room to the loud music, laughing like children.

The song finally ended and another one started, slower and beautiful with melodic chords. James pulled me close and we started a slow waltz around the room. He put both hands on my waist and lifted me; I never returned to the ground as he pulled me close and I wrapped myself around him. He easily held me up and kept circling. "I love you," he whispered.

My heart exploded in fireworks and a blush spread across my face as he nuzzled into me. "I love you too."

He lowered us into an armchair so I was on top of him and he kissed me so sweetly and tenderly it made me melt, driving me more crazy than a passionate one would have. "Mine," he growled in my ear.

"Yours," I whispered back.

oO0Oo

"Wake up," James murmured, rubbing my back.

"Mmm," I said, cuddling further into the bed.

"It's nearly lunch," he said.

I opened one eye and looked at him, running a hand through my hair. "Aren't we leaving?" I asked.

"Yeah…lunch with my parents," he said.

"Do you think they'll like me?" I asked, sitting up.

"They'll adore you," he said earnestly. "Lily, it's like you don't see yourself."

"What do you mean?" I asked with a slight frown.

"You are so amazing. I've fallen so completely for you; you've got no clue. From the first moment I saw you, sitting in the Great Hall making cheeky remarks with your friends, about me nonetheless, I knew I was a goner."

"You're too sweet," I said as my face blushed.

"No, love, that's you," he said with a wink. "Anyways, I wanted to tell you something about my family."

"You don't really have one, but were hatched from an egg."

"What?" he asked, instantly distracted.

"Nothing. Go on," I said with a smile.

"Well, my mum will love you as soon as she sees you, and she's definitely a hugger. There's no personal space."

"That's not bad, I suppose," I said with a shrug.

"I'm glad that doesn't scare you. My dad is brilliant; expect explosions from his study during the middle of the night."

"And they're fine with me coming?"

"They're ecstatic. They can't wait to meet you."

"Is there anything I shouldn't do?"

"No, you'll be perfect. But you know what would really impress them?"

"What?"

"I dare you to hug my mum before she hugs you," he said with a mischievous smile.

"And that'll impress them?"

"Trust me, it will. You really should."

"Well, you dared me, didn't you?" I said with a shake of my head. "Pick your dares wisely, Potter."

"You want to get dressed?" He slid out of the bed and walked into the bathroom. The sink turned on and I could hear him brushing his teeth.

I slid past him and jumped into the shower, then got ready for the day. I couldn't help the nervous flutters as I packed my trunk for the week. I mean, I knew he had all the confidence in the world in me, but really, I'm not that great.

"Ready?" he asked, peaking his head around the corner into the bedroom.

"Yeah," I said, smiling up at him. He pecked me on the lips and grabbed my hand, leading us over to the fire.

"Wayside Haven," he said as he dropped floo powder and stepped into the green flames.

I repeated the name and stepped into the fire as well. "Wayside Haven?" I asked as I appeared in the room next to James.

He shrugged. "They turned this huge place into a safe house for order members and their family; they changed the name and the location."

"I see," I said with a smile.

"Charlus, they're here!" we heard from another room. Mrs. Potter came rushing into the room, in all her aging beauty. I set my trunk down and walked towards her, hugging her. "I like you already," she said.

Pulling back, she kept her hands on my shoulders and looked me over. "Thank you for having me over, Mrs. Potter," I said with a smile.

"Oh, it's our pleasure, dear. We couldn't possibly turn away the first woman James has brought home, could we?"

"First?" I asked with a grin.

"Oh, you should see the letters he sends about you. The boy's head over heels," she said. Mrs. Potter put her arm around my shoulder and started walking with me out the door.

I glanced back at James, standing by the fire with our trunks, silently laughing at us. With a wink, I turned back to watch where I was going. "Just between the two of us," I said to Mrs. Potter, "I've got it bad for him, too," I whispered.

"Oh, dear, you're a delight!" she exclaimed. "Charlus, this is Lily." I looked up to Mr. Potter.

"Good to meet you, Lily. I'm James' father."

"Your house is lovely," I said, looking around.

"Oh, it's the gardens you really want to see," Mr. Potter said with a wave of his hand. "Dorea is brilliant with plants."

"Not during the winter, dear," Mrs. Potter reminded him. "Besides, we're getting a foot of snow today; I can feel it in my bones."

"Where's James?" Mr. Potter asked.

"Oh, remembered your only child, have you?" James asked from behind us.

"How could we forget you?" Dorea asked with a grin. We went through another door to a table set with steaming food.

As I sat down, James smiled at me and winked. I took that as a good sign; under the table I found his leg and brushed my foot against him. He reached out for my hand across the table and gave it a squeeze.

I looked up to see Mr. and Mrs. Potter giving each other knowing looks.

"More peas, Lily?"


End file.
